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Stop comparing yourself to others. This is why most people never get ahead in their careers. They waste valuable time trying to be what they are not - rather than valuing who they naturally are and building upon their own foundation of skills and knowledge for growth. People that advance in their careers focus less on what others say about them and more on how their creativity, competencies and leadership skills can add-value to the organization they serve. Envy is a dangerous but natural emotion that we are faced with each day. You can’t avoid it, but you can certainly contain it. Unfortunately, I have seen too many people ruin their careers (let alone their lives) because they felt so much pressure to be like those in their organizations that were trying to get promoted and noticed. The most effective and sustainable way to advance in your career is to be yourself. This requires you to know who you are, what you stand for and how to enable your talent. Mentors and bosses can guide you, but in the end you must be your own manager and this means taking control of your career. Envy destroys career advancement and if you are not careful you can become a victim of this dangerous mind-game that we play with ourselves.

We operate in a dog-eat-dog world of copy-cats and a race to the finish line. The demand for originality is at premium and requires taking risks. As such, people would rather leech off one another to be generally accepted rather than be unique and different. That is why envy is so prominent in society. Most people are only looking for acceptance, not significance. In fact, the majority of people do not desire to make a difference in the world. They are just content with mediocrity and go with the flow – waiting for the next trend (or tweet) to give them purpose. They are only awakened to take initiative if their comfort zone has been disrupted (the Occupy Movement proved this point).

Envy doesn’t fuel people, it defines them.

We now operate in a global market that encourages people to embrace differences and to be different themselves. Diversity is not about being compliant; it’s about being chic and celebrating the uniqueness that lies within each of us. Envy looms when people are not happy with themselves and their careers/lives. While you may not be able to change the feelings that cause envy, you can change the way you look at things and that will eliminate envy from your life.

It’s all about perspective.

With this in mind, here are six ways envy destroys career advancement and why you must contain it:

1. Competitive Spirit is Lost

It’s difficult to be competitive when you are paying too much attention on wanting to be like others. You lose your passion and desire to unleash your own innate gifts and talent. This is why most people don’t advance in their careers. They declare themselves “unable to compete” because they spend too much time observing others as “threats” rather than unleashing their true potential. When you're blinded by envy, you can't see your own opportunities right in front of you. You cloud your circular vision.

2. Authenticity Remains Dormant

You must become in order to do. It’s impossible to become when you care more about being what others are, rather than being yourself. Do be a commodity. Increase the value in your stock that is original, substantive and with a voice that is true to who you are. That’s how you get discovered.

3. Difficult to Build Momentum

How can you build momentum in your career when you are not focused on what makes you unique? Momentum is created with proper timing and focus. This requires defining a strategy that integrates the skill sets that make you effective in your work and apply focus to how best you can unleash them. Without strategy, change is merely substitution not evolution.